The effect, reported in Science, is similar to the action of muscles found in elephant trunks and squid tentacles.

BBC: Nanotube yarns twist like muscles

The squid had lost its two tentacles, which Mr Pemberton said would have been about 15 metres (50 feet) long.

BBC: 'New species' of giant squid found

The squid, which was inexplicably missing its two longest tentacles, was spotted in waters east of Chichi Island about 1, 000 kilometers (600 miles) south of Tokyo, NHK said.

NPR: Giant Squid Filmed In Ocean Depths For 1st Time